chocolate cupcake chats
by rocket-queen98
Summary: Klaus accidentally messes up with Hope and her uncle Kol comes to the rescue...with chocolate cupcakes.


**_**A/N I have already posted as a chapter in another fic of mine if it seems familiar. The other fic is called 'you turn my darkness into light'. But I thought that I could post it again as a one shot. I hope you like it if you haven't read it before.**_**

* * *

 ** **chocolate cupcake chats****

 ** **.****

 ** **.****

 ** **A loud, gut wrenching screamed echoed throughout the Mikaelson household.****

 **"** ** **HOPE,**** ** _ **NO!**_** ** **"****

Elijah, who had been tying his tie flashed into his brothers' study, clutching his undone tie. It hung loosely around his neck. Hayley was second, holding a wooden spoon coated with chocolate in the air, ready to strike. She had been in the middle of baking cupcakes for her daughter after Hope had come skipping into the kitchen earlier, handing her mother the work she had been doing with her uncle Elijah, who had been home schooling her. Another body flashed into the study, the blonde Original appearing beside the hybrid queen. Finally, another gush of wind hit them, and frowning Kol stood in front of the rest, his fangs in view, also ready to strike whoever had caused the noise. Each wore the same amount of concern in their eyes, their orbs searching for the child.

"What was the noise about?" Rebekah demanded when she saw no bloodshed or signs that an attack had been made."Where is Hope? Is she all-right?"

Their gazes landed on the hybrid, who was crouching next to his desk, looking into the hole where the office chair had been tucked under which was now on the floor, having been thrown aside. Their ears caught sounds of heavy sobs, turning out to be Hope's. They heard their brother speaking soothingly at his daughter, a tone only she received, but his voice was laced with guilt.

"Hope, sweetheart, there's nothing to be afraid of. Come on out, baby wolf."

A heart wrenching sob was heard."NO! Go away, leave me alone. ****GO AWAY!**** "

They all gasped. Hope never used that tone with her father, or any of them really, but her father was everything to her. This meant that something serious had happened.

Elijah was first to talk."What's happened, brother?"

Klaus sighed when his daughter, tucked underneath the desk, refused to come to him. He stood up, and everyone saw his normally bright eyes darken after being rejected from his daughter, who normally followed him around, smiling whenever she saw him. He walked over to his family, rubbing a hand over his face, looking, for the first time, _remorseful_.

"She saw...she saw-"

"Saw __what__ , Klaus?! What did our _five year old_ daughter see?" Hayley hissed, tossing the spoon into the trash, tempted to drive it through his stomach.

Hayley was in what Kol called 'mama wolf mode' and when this happened, she was not to be messed with.

"I didn't hear her, I don't know how that happened, I normally hear from across the bloody city. I normally feel her whenever she's near."Klaus rambled, unusually shaken."One of the vampires broke the rules and killed one of the locals, they put up a fight when I banished them from the city. I got angry and decided to teach him a lesson, so I bit him. Just as I did, Hope came running in, looking like she'd won the bloody lottery, and saw the whole thing."

Rebekah looked over at the desk, hearing her niece's sobs as clear as day and her heart clenched."What did she see, Nik?"

Klaus let out a shaky breath, seeing his daughter's teary face in his mind once again. The feeling he had was horrible, as if someone had ripped out his heart.

"She saw me biting him. She saw the blood, my face, everything. I tried to pick her up like I do whenever she cries, but she wouldn't let me anywhere near her. She ran off, terrified, and now refuses to come out from underneath the desk. She looked... _terrified_ , as though I was a monster. I thought she was still with Elijah at Marcel's loft."

"She is a hybrid herself, Elijah. She may not have the immortality until she kills someone but she still has...y'know the features of one. Hasn't she seen her face already?" The blonde whispered so that her niece wouldn't be able to hear over her sniffling.

Elijah glanced over at the table, before he whispered back."No, sister, she hasn't. Hope is five years old, the only abilities she has that she's aware of is what we have told her. Hope knows that she is...special. She's aware that she can control things, that she can heal quickly, that she can run fast, hear things that are far away. We have kept the... _ _bloodier__ side of it quiet, just until she is old enough. Besides, she is the world's first pure blooded hybrid, and she is a very powerful witch already, the extent of her powers and abilities still remain unknown."

They all stared at the table, knowing that if Klaus, Hope's world, wouldn't be able to coax her out, there was no way anyone else would be. She had inherited the Mikaelson stubbornness, something they were both proud and sceptical of. Though, Elijah gestured for Hayley to go and see if she could calm her daughter enough to get her out from underneath the table. Her sobs, which weren't faltering where paining each of them. They all stood in wait, Elijah comforting his brother as best as he could without irritating him.

Klaus' worst fear had just happened – his daughter running away from his arms rather than _into_ them. Her cries where only furthering his darkest thoughts, and he seemed tense, close to breaking.

"Baby girl,"Hayley sing songed as she pushed the chair away further to gain some sunlight underneath the desk. She knelt down, eyes catching sight of Hope. The five year old, who had been skipping and giggling earlier was know crouched under the desk in the small space, legs held to her chest, cheeks red from her tears, and her blue eyes glassed over.

"What's the matter? Tell momma what happened."

Hope shook her head, as if convinced that if she told her mother, that it had truly happened. A part of her was sure that she would be waking up from a bad dream, and that she would run to her father's room, where it was always safe, and he could 'shoo' the nightmare away forever. She buried her face in her knees, arms locked around her legs protectively.

 _ _Don't pressure her into telling you, it'll only make her close into herself. Remember yourself being that young, and people bothering you, even at that age. Wait until she's ready to tell you__ The wolf inside her guided Hayley, and she put on her best wide smile.

"I don't wanna say."

"Well, how about you come out and we'll have some chocolate cupcakes? You'll feel better, I promise."

Eyes wide, Hope shook her head, long brown locks framing her face. Her eyes pooled with tears once more, as if leaving would pop the safe bubble she was in."NO, momma, I don't want to leave here!"

"Why not, baby girl? There is nothing to fear here, remember? This is your home, nothing is going to hurt you."

Hope shook her head once again, this time more defiant."No, i'm not leaving."

Hayley glanced over at her family, face falling when she saw Klaus sitting in an arm chair, head in his hands. Rebekah and Elijah were sitting on the arms of the chairs, hand on each of his shoulders, trying their best to comfort him. Kol was leaning against the wall, face blank, watching the scene between her and Hope. Hearing his niece cry and being scared were the worst things in the world to him. He hadn't expected this to happen, earlier that day the two were sitting in their usual spots in the compound and Kol was teaching Hope small, basic spells.

Some were making things float in the air or flickering the lights. She was doing brilliantly, and he couldn't be more proud. Though he was a vampire, nobody knew better magic better than Kol did. They enjoyed playing pranks on their family, something Kol was scolded for but didn't listen to. She was home schooled. Elijah taught her history and English, Rebekah taught her how to write 'elegantly', Klaus about art and Hayley educated her on her family history. But Kol was, in his own opinion, her favourite teacher. She loved magic. Kol remained emotionless on the outside, while on the inside he wanted to tear his brother's head off for letting such a stupid thing happen.

She was upset and nobody could do anything about it. It was their worst nightmare.

Hayley nodded, respecting her daughter's wishes."You can't stay here alone, baby. Don't you want someone to stay and keep you company until you're ready to come out? Name one person and i'll get them for you."

"No, momma."

"Nobody?" Hayley asked and when Hope shook her head, she noticed that her tears had stopped, but her eyes were still filled with them. She wondered if Hope knew that it was her father. She wondered if the child had just thought it was a 'monster'. Testing her theory, Hayley asked."What about daddy? He's worried about you too, baby girl."

At that, the Originals' heads snapped up, waiting for Hope's response. They understood what she was doing instantly. Hope had just seen the amber eyes and veins. She could have just thought that it was someone 'bad' in their home, and in the shock, run away, even though her father's voice followed. Klaus' eyes held hope, silently praying for the theory to be true. But Hope was a smart child, she caught on quickly, much earlier than other children. Because of her abilities, she was walking and talking earlier than normal children. Her mind and reflexes were quick. Then, all of a sudden, Hope's voice, holding a terrified edge to it rang out throughout the room. She shook her head again, closing in on herself, a tear running down her soft cheek, the complete opposite reaction she normally gave whenever her father was mentioned.

"NO! No, momma, I don't want daddy. That was not __my__ daddy."

Klaus' eyes filled with unwanted tears. His daughter **—** the most precious being in the world to him **—** was terrified of her father.

Hayley brushed the wetness from Hope's cheek, shaking her head."Baby girl, your daddy is here and he would never hurt you, he loves you. Remember? Your daddy loves you to the moon and back, there is nothing to be scared of. Especially him."

"You didn't see the __red__ , momma. He made the other man feel pain...i saw it. I'm not coming out, i'm not. I'm staying here."

Knowing there was nothing she could do, Hayley just nodded. She leaned down and kissed Hope's cheek."Okay, baby. There will be cupcakes waiting in the kitchen when you're ready to come out. Momma loves you, remember that. Daddy does too... _so much._ "

Hope stayed quiet as her mother stood, her own eyes glassed over. She knew that this was Klaus' worst nightmare, hers too. They were all always careful around Hope. If they needed to feed, they would take it far away from their home. Their home was a safe, peaceful place, apart from the usual bickering. Even the vampires, who kept a watch out for attacks, were also told. Hope got along with them, they'd been there since she was born, especially Joshua, who she adored. Silent tears dropped from Klaus' cheeks as he stared at nothing, eyes blank. He seemed somewhere else, as if he wasn't in touch with reality anymore. His daughter had never run from him, she'd never been anything but laughter and smiles around her father. He was her safe haven, he was everything to his daughter.

Now he was a monster to his princess, when all he'd ever wanted to be was her knight and shining armour.

"Klaus. She's a child, her mind exaggerates, right now everything's scary to her. She'll come around, it's like watching a scary movie that keeps you awake for a few nights. She'll be a daddy's girl again in no time, you'll see. Each child experiences something like this, well not _this_ , but you know what i'm saying. It'll work out."

Even though Hayley's words held some truth that made sense to Elijah, Klaus' mind wouldn't accept it. He stood up, pushing everyone away and left the room.

He couldn't...he just couldn't bear to see his daughter hiding from him.

"Klaus! Wait!"

"Nik!"

"Brother, don't run away from this."

The four followed him, but while Rebakah, Hayley and Elijah ran after Klaus to make sure he didn't do anything stupid, Kol had other ideas. He disappeared into the kitchen, grabbed a few things before making his way out. Once positive that the rest were no longer in the home, Kol returned to Klaus' study. He slowly trailed over to where his niece was. He had heard her saying that she didn't want anyone around her, but in the past, Kol had said that many times before, played off that he didn't want anyone around him while he was upset, though he secretly craved someone refusing to leave, despite his protests and staying, whether he liked it or not. He'd be damned if he left his niece crying and all alone. He thought that maybe if it was someone apart from her parents, maybe she would be more at ease with someone else. He wasn't happy about the situation and couldn't believe that Klaus had allowed that to happen, though parts of him was telling him that it was an honest mistake.

Placing a wide smirk on his face as he knelt down where Hayley had previously been, Kol made himself comfortable. He sat down, crossing his legs, controlling his anger as best as he could so that Hope wouldn't feel anything other than peace from him.

"Hello, darling. This your new favourite spot?" He greeted.

Hope's blue eyes met his own, letting out a sigh of relief when she realized that it was her uncle Kol. Her fun uncle, the one who taught her how to cheat on her history 'tests' her uncle Elijah gave her when she found a question too hard because otherwise, she wouldn't gain her special cupcakes her mother made her whenever she did well on the tests. There was no pressure when he was around, and he never spoke to her like she was a child, he was always straight forward with his niece.

"I got something for you, sweets."

Hope didn't reply, just rested her cheek on her knees, staring at Kol. His smile didn't falter as he showed his niece what was behind his back. A plate came into view, two chocolate cupcakes that her mother made on it. Hope slowly raised her head as her uncle put the plate on the ground, chucking when he saw her perk up in interest.

"I'll make a deal with you, darling. You tell me what's gotten you underneath the desk, which can't be comfortable by the way, and i'll give you a cupcake and when you come out, which i'm not going to force you to, you'll get the other one. But only if you promise _not_ to tell your mother."

The five year old kept quiet as he uncle stared at her. But, what he noticed was that she wasn't crying, pulling away from him or insisting that she wanted to be alone, which, in his book, was progress. Though he already knew what happened, to Hope, he was a newcomer to the situation. It was just him and her, there was nobody else around, and she felt comforted by that. She hesitantly let her walls crumble, her arms letting go of her legs, and she slowly began to relax once knowing that nobody had sent him there to try and coax her out.

But she still didn't speak, just continued to look at him and Kol decided that maybe he should take another step.

"How about this? You tell me how you did on Elijah's test and you'll get the first cupcake? Did you use the trick I taught you?"

The trick was a simple spell. Her uncle Elijah gave her tests every few months on the history subject he was teaching her. He would even give her home work, which Hope reluctantly did, and would test her on the homework she had done over that few months. Hope, like her parents before her, had no patience, and got bored easily. So, instead of studying, her uncle Kol would help her one the things she found difficult by teaching her a spell. Once Elijah told her about the subject in history she had to study, Kol would help her pick out the information she struggled with and told her to write it down. Once she had written it down, she would mumble the words of the spell he taught her, which would make the writing invisible to everyone's eyes but her own. The writing would appear on her test paper until she mumbled another few words to finally make it disappear when she wrote it down if the information was relevant to the questions Elijah gave her for the test.

Unable to help herself, Hope gave her uncle a small smile. He returned it.

 _ _Another step in the right direction__ _._ He mused.

"I passed. He even said he wouldn't give me homework for the next week. That's why momma made me cupcakes. She put the test on the fridge." Hope answered proudly, accepting the first cupcake she saw when her uncle slid the plate in her direction.

"Good job, darling. See, that's why i'm your favourite, I don't give you homework and my subject is less boring than Elijah's and Bekah's." He smirked, before asking another question, this time, in a softer tone."Did you show your father? I'm sure he'd be just as proud as me, Elijah and your mother are."

Her eyes looked away from him, and as she answered, she picked at her cupcake."No, daddy hasn't seen it."

"Why not? Is he busy?"

This time, he got a short reply."I don't want him to."

Her voice was filled with sadness but a hint of anger. She broke a piece off the cupcake and tossed it into her mouth, her blue orbs returning to Kol's after a few moments."Why not, love? I'm sure he'd love to see it and show it off that his daughter is a genius."

"I'm not a genius, uncle Kol, 'Lijah just doesn't know that I cheated."

"...exactly, Elijah doesn't know. Whoever manages to get something like that by your uncle Elijah, in my opinion, is a genius. He is the smartest person I know, besides you of course for getting by him. Now, tell me why you don't want your father to see your test."

"Daddy isn't __daddy__ anymore. He was mean to the man and looked scary. His eyes...they were not mine and daddy has always told me that our eyes are rare, but his ones, they looked different. He wasn't daddy and he...he scared me."

Hope licked the chocolate off of her fingers, knowing that her aunt would be upset if she ruined the pretty dress Rebekah had bought her. Her aunt spoiled her for as long as she could remember, filling up her wardrobe with as much clothes and shoes that could fit.

Kol understood what she was saying. Klaus' hybrid face wasn't a nice sight for innocents, especially Hope. He was sure that she had the same amber eyes, something that the hybrid-witch hadn't had the chance to find out yet. Like Elijah had told them, they hadn't told Hope about the other side of her powers and abilities, only small amounts that she had actually figured out herself accidentally. There had only been one incident where they had come close to the child finding out. When she was three years old, Hope had cut her knee after tripping while running towards her brother, and at the smell of blood, her eyes had turned amber.

But, thankfully, as soon as it healed, her human face returned. Since she had been so young, she hadn't noticed.

"Sweetheart, remember when you were little and first found out about your gifts?"

Hope, happy to change the subject from her father, nodded, smiling softly at the memory."Yup. Cami was taking me to the park."

"...and?"

"I wasn't feeling well, and she took her eyes off the road, something uncle Lijah doesn't like, to make sure I wasn't going to be sick. But at the same time that happened, there was people crossing the road, and she almost hit them. I don't remember what happened, but momma says that I used my special gifts to make the car stop and that I did a good thing because it saved the people crossing."

Kol nodded, happy that she remembered. Camille had been terrified after witnessing this, she hadn't been familiar with the child's possibility of her gifts. Hope had somehow managed so sense this and had stopped the car, which had started back up again when the people were back on the pavement. It had been the first sighting of any actual power, and Elijah had instantly looked into it, trying to find answers. Her mother and father, on the other hand, were too proud of Hope to bother with that, leaving the answers to Elijah and Rebekah while they looked out for more signs of abilities or powers from their daughter.

"Very good and what did your mother and father tell you what you were after that?"

She smiled once more before answering, voice full of self-confidence."That i'm special. I'm not like others, I am _in-inique_."

"It's __unique__ , love, and they were right. That is what your father is also, darling. Your father, like yourself is..."Kol sighed, not one to feed his brother's ego, but since it was for Hope, he bit back a snide remark."special. He, like you, is unique. Actually, every member of our family is special, too. But your mother, your father and yourself, are even more unique in some ways."

Hope's brow furrowed, confused. She knew that her family was different, but this was the first time anyone was telling her anything different about her parents. Wanting their daughter to have a somewhat normal start in life, Hayley had demanded that each member of the Mikaelson clan help her with her goal. Nobody told her anything about themselves, not wanting her to worry about anything until she was old enough. That was why she had been terrified of her father, because until that moment, she just thought that he had special abilities, like her.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, love, that you're even more special than you think. You can do almost anything. You and your parents are the only three of your species now. Only you are...more special. You were born that way while your parents weren't."

Kol was more than angry at Klaus for this, but he would never want Hope to fear him, he would never want a repeat of Mikael. He had watched Klaus with his daughter, and though he would never say it to his face, Kol secretly thought that his brother was an amazing father. Outsiders would never had thought that Klaus Mikaelson, the Original Hybrid, whose name made the supernatural community shake with fear, could be gentle. They would never believe that he willingly and happily read to his daughter at night, gave into her when she dragged him to bake with her and Rebekah, sat __patiently__ and listened to every word she said about her day. They would never believe that Klaus __didn't__ want someone to fear him, that his worst nightmare was his daughter cowering from him, and after seeing the pain in Klaus' eyes, Kol decided that he would come to the rescue.

He would come to the rescue because he loved this girl but not only that. It was because that, despite what he personally thought of his brother in the past, he _knew_ without a doubt that Klaus Mikaelson was a great father.

Kol would never believe otherwise. Not that he would ever admit his thoughts to Klaus himself. His brother already had a big ego.

"I'm like daddy?"

Kol nodded and to prove his words, he leaned up, grabbing an envelope opener from Klaus' study drawer and he took out his mobile from his pocket before re-joining Hope underneath the table."I'll show you. But don't tell anyone. Mikaelson Magic Vow?"

Kol held out his hand with a small smirk. The Mikaelson Magic Vow was something he and Hope had come up with before he started teaching her magic. The 'other' spells they did were never spoken of once they left their lessons. He was supposed to be teaching her basic spells, but ones like helping her cheat on her tests or playing pranks on their family was secret. The Vow was also used for whenever Hope confided in her uncle, and despite his brothers, Rebekah and Hayley digging for information, he never told a soul unless he felt that Hope was in trouble, which she rarely was. He kept their promises, and knew that even at her young age, Hope took it seriously. His niece, though curious, giggled before placing her smaller hand in his own.

The two shut their eyes before they whispered in unison." _ _Je jure de ne jamais déshonorer notre vœu.__ " _I swear never to dishonour our vow._

When those words were whispered, their eyes flashed, meaning that nobody but them could hear what was being said inside the room. Kol got comfortable, making sure that Hope could understand and see what he was doing. He set his mobile to the side for the moment and with one sharp move, he sliced his hand open. Hope was still young and had yet to control when her hybrid features came forward since nobody had told her much yet, that was why somebody was with her at all times. But he knew that she could never attack him, she wasn't out of control, she didn't have a bloodlust, instead, she just needed to learn _who_ she was. Kol brought his hand closer, making sure that her senses could understand that blood was near.

"Uncle Kol, you need a plaster!"Hope whispered, not noticing the fangs that had extracted."I have Bugs Bunny ones-"

"I'm all right, darling. I'm magic, too, remember?"Kol cut her off with a small smile.

Just like he thought, a second later, Hope's eyes turned amber, something that only happened when she could sense blood. The werewolf, that still hadn't been activated, was stirring inside. Another reason that the family was still so protective, they didn't want her on the street of New Orleans, and accidentally kill someone. But, because she was unique and her blood was special, her powers and abilities were still unknown. But they were sure that if she killed someone, that would activate her curse, which would make her immortal. Though, still, her eyes still flashed amber when she was angry or upset, something that always made Klaus chuckle.

This was what Kol wanted, because she all she had seen was her dad's eyes turn colour, that was what had shocked her the most.

"Uncle Kol, wh-"

Kol cut her off, and picked up his mobile, wanting to catch the quick colour change of her eyes before they settled back to blue He winked at her, and when she looked back at him, he quickly snapped a picture, making sure the flash was off because she always complained that it hurt her eyes. After his wound healed quite quickly, Kol shuffled over to his niece, now sitting side by side with her. He unlocked his mobile and found the picture he took with her.

"You said your father's eyes were different, right? What colour were they?"

Still confused, Hope answered anyway, nose scrunched up as she tried to remember."They looked orange, but they weren't. They also looked yellow...but wasn't."

"Were they pretty?"Kol asked."Apart from the...red, darling, were they pretty?"

"Uh-huh."

He chuckled, wondering how something so delightful could be half of his brother. Kol shook his head before he handed Hope his mobile. He zoomed in so that her eyes were clear on the screen. Hope let out a gasp when she saw her normally blue eyes look totally different. She was sticking out her tongue at her uncle because before taking the picture, he had took away her cupcake to get her attention, and as she looked into the camera, her eyes were amber.

"See? Just like your parents. Your eyes turn that colour whenever you're sleepy, hungry and even when you throw your tantrums when you don't get your way, again, just like your parents. Your eyes, my darling, are still ocean blue the rest of the time, just like your father. But his changed because he was hungry. Mine change too."

Hope's head snapped up at his last words."Really? Are they not orange and not yellow too?"

"The name for the color is amber, sweetheart."He told her before adding."...and no, mine are red. See?"

A second later he let his vampire face come forward but he kept his fangs hidden, she wasn't ready for that. His brown orbs turned red, and Hope gasped once more. She didn't cower away, she didn't scream, instead, she leaned closer. Kol knew that if her father had done this, if he had sat down and showed her this carefully, she wouldn't have run away like she had when she walked in on him attacking the vampire. Hope's small hand reached up and she let her soft fingers move across the veins underneath his eyes, smiling softly when he rolled his red orbs, her tears long gone. He grabbed his mobile, quickly deleting the picture just in case someone saw it and daggered him, before placing it back into his pocket.

Hope nodded, understanding, and Kol let his human face come forward once more.

Her face then turned sad and she pouted."I upset daddy, didn't I? I know when he's upset because I get a bad feeling in my stomach."

"He's not upset with you, love. He knows that __he__ was the one who upset __you__ and he didn't like scaring you. Your father, like yourself and your mother are different, but in a good way. Your father never wants you to be scared of him because he loves you more than anything in the world, sweet. That is why we have all kept this a secret until now but you had to know because your father doesn't want you to see him as a monster. __Especially__ you. All your parents want is for you to be happy. That is all I want, too."

Kol smiled before he stood up, wiping off his expensive jeans. He held out his hand to her."Now, are you going to come out of there? It mustn't be comfy, darling."

"Your father is in the downstairs waiting for you." He added when he heard his family return from retrieving Klaus.

As his niece stood up, Kol handed her the plate with the cupcake on it, eyes telling her that she had earned it. She smiled at her uncle. The two mumbled the words once more, and their 'Mikaelson Magic Vow' spell was broken. Now Hope could hear her uncle, aunt and mother attempting to calm down her father in the compound. She could feel a bad feeling in her stomach, something she got when she knew that her father was upset. Kol looked down at his niece, and he kneeled in front of her, coming eye to eye with the hybrid witch and he spoke so low that nobody but her could hear him.

"On you go, darling. If you save me a cupcake from the kitchen before your aunt and mother eat them all, i'll teach you a spell of __your__ choosing tomorrow."

Hope grinned at him, and he couldn't help but return it, feeling his anger at his brother disappear when he saw no trace of tears in her bright blue orbs."I promise!"Hope smiled, hugging her uncle tightly before she whispered."I love you, uncle Kol."

"I can't blame you, darling."Kol responded but, with a different, softer tone he only used with her, he added after a few seconds."...but i'm sure that I adore you more."

Hope watched as Kol reached into his back pocket and took out a paper that mirrored the test she did well on. He unfolded it and handed the paper to Hope."I took it off the fridge, love. I'm sure your father would like to see it, show him just how much his daughter got her brains from her uncle Kol."

She kissed his cheek before walking out of her father's study, smoothing down her dress that Rebekah got her. Kol watched her leave before he slowly trailed after her. But he stopped when he reached the balcony, leaning against the railing as Hope made her way down the staircase that led to the compound, holding onto the banister that Elijah always told her to do. She stepped down them one by one, her small feet barely making a sound, holding the plate in one hand along with her test paper. As she climbed down the stairs, her gaze landed on her father, aunt, uncle and mother who were sitting on one of the tables, facing away from her. They hadn't heard her mostly because they were lost in their own thoughts. Her father had his head in his hands, not caring who saw how upset he was, despite being surrounded by his vampire minions.

She felt that feeling again in her stomach, making her frown. Just as she reached the bottom step, Joshua appeared by her side, holding out his larger hand. Hope was never to be left alone at the compound, and if she tripped falling down the stairs, Joshua's head would be no longer on his shoulders. She smiled up at her friend, hand slipping into his as she jumped off the last step, making sure that her cupcake didn't fall and that her test paper didn't float away. Skipping away from Joshua, Hope looked up at her uncle Kol who was still leaning against the balcony, and she placed her finger to her mouth in a 'hush' gesture. The vampires scattered around, after seeing Kol's look, just nodded.

The wildest Mikaelson was not to be tangled with.

"Niklaus, brother. I'm sure she will get over this. As Hayley said, she is just a child. Do try to refrain from doing something impulsive."

Klaus chuckled, venom in his voice as he replied."I'm sure that I can't do anything worse, brother. It only took five years but my already daughter thinks i'm a monster."

The four didn't see Hope coming up behind them, using everything she had to remain silent. She chewed on her bottom lip when she saw Klaus' eyes glassed over. So, putting on her best smile, Hope, now by his side, reached up and tugged on the bottom of Klaus' leather jacket. He, being taken by surprise jumped, startled, as were them all. Hope, eyes sparking, smiled cutely up at her father, holding tight onto her plate along with her paper. She was standing there, looking as if nothing had happened, which Kol knew that had she _meant_ to do.

She shook her head from side to side, stubbornly denying his words."Nu-uh! I think your eyes are pretty, daddy. They are..."Pausing, Hope glanced up at her uncle, struggling for a moment but Kol just nodded in encouragement."... _amber_ and __unique__. Like me and momma."

Klaus observed his daughter for a moment, her wide smile and eyes full of nothing but adoration for him. There were no tears, no running, no hiding and definitely no rejection. Just pure and utter devoted love to her father. Klaus felt like his heart had just began beating again, and he let out a shocked laugh. Elijah, Rebekah and Hayley smiled down at the child, who no doubt, had more power over her father than she thought. As if hesitant, Klaus leaned down and picked up his daughter, settling her on his lap. He held her as tight as he could without harming her, his eyes returning bright blue once again, looking relieved. He brushed back Hope's brown locks and kissed her forehead, eyes shutting for a moment.

He felt like he could breatheagain when Hope giggled. It was music to his ears.

"Where did you learn those words, love?"

"Uncle Kol taught me." Hope stated proudly, snuggling into her father.

Hayley, ruffling her daughter's hair proudly, eyed the things in Hope's hands."What have you got there, baby girl?"

"A cupcake, momma. But it's for daddy, he has to be rewarded because he is special and he needs to see how good I did on my test." Hope replied with confidence, making sure to add a stubborn edge to her voice, as if everyone had to know that the cupcake was for Klaus, not for them.

Klaus turned his head towards Elijah, who just squeezed his shoulder, nodding. He held his daughter to him, letting out a long sigh, as if she had been away for a hundred years, which felt like she had. He couldn't describe the feeling he had when she looked at him with such fear. Shaking his head as if to forget the memory, Klaus accepted the test paper Hope handed to him. He praised her about her work, feeling nothing but pride as he read over the answers she had gotten right, which was all but one. Just as he turned to show Hayley once more, he met Kol's eyes, who was still standing over them from the balcony.

His brother nodded at him, and Klaus, as if knowing what had taken place, smiled thankfully at his brother. Kol acknowledged this, but said nothing, though they didn't need to speak. There had always been an understanding between them and at that moment, Klaus gained a lot of respect for his youngest brother.

He was always there when he needed them, and would do anything for his niece.

There was no doubt about that.

"Daddy?"

Klaus met her gaze, and Hope gazed up at him, snuggled contently against his chest."Yes, baby wolf?"

"I think that your amber eyes are pretty and..."She cupped her hand over her mouth as if going to whisper the next part, but she did _anything_ but."I love you to the moon and back."

Klaus beamed at his daughter, kissing the top of her hand that was resting on his larger one.

"To the moon and back, sweetheart. Never let that go."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading.**

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 **Sorry for any grammar/spelling mistakes.**


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